#pregot au

[wallofprompts]

Another chance to win the fight AU

(AO3 One-shoot Collection )

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(283 AC – 285 AC) Catelyn

  The Maester said her first child would come in less than a moon’s turn, yet Robert chose to attend a Tournament at the other side of the continent.

He hadn’t been there when the little boy finally came. Stannis and Renly had, though, when she had held the screaming, red-haired babe and announced them she’d call him Robb.

Stannis had voiced that their brother would be pleased with the choice.

He was not.

“He doesn’t look anything like me.” Was what Robert had said a fortnight later when he came back from the Tournament to meet his firstborn.

Catelyn keenly felt how Robert barely looked at their son and even worse when he did it with contempt, as the babe had already disappointed him.

    Two years later, Robert went hunting at the first signs of her second childbirth. She remembered the mortification she felt when her waters broke and he fled the room, she also remembered the disapproving look Stannis had on his face while his older brother was leaving.

Once again, her good-brothers met her babe before her husband. They had waited outside her rooms for the six hours it took for their niece to came into the world.

“She’s less wrinkle than Robb was,” Renly stated looking at her small little face. Catelyn had smiled amused by the boy statement.

“Robert said I could choose the name if it was a girl.” She explained to them. “What do you think of Sanna, after your lady mother?”

“Mother’s name was Cassana.” Renly replied, frowning.

“Catelyn knows it,” Stannis explained to the younger boy, “but her exact name would be bad luck.”

“Oh,” Renly scrunched his face pondering over his brother’s words. “Then, Sanna is bonny.”

“Hm,” Stannis nodded, “She looks just like her mother.”

Cat had avoided his stare, so they couldn’t notice how Stannis’ remark had made her blush.

Robert came back a few hours later, bringing a boar as a gift for their new child. However, he spared only a couple of minutes with her and the babe. That time, he didn’t say anything, but his mouth twitched with irritation when his eyes landed on their daughter. Catelyn hugged Sanna a little tighter when she noticed Robert’s expression.

He left soon after to ‘celebrate’ by getting himself drunk with who knows whom.

 Robert’s celebrations began to get worse that year. The whispered rumours about his whoring ways, the squandering of their income on gambles and benders and new other bastards became common knowledge for everyone in Storm’s End and half of the Stormlands’ lords.

Stannis had taken over the castellan’s duties and his fights with Robert over his expenses were frequent.

Everything reached the tipping point the day the steward, Stannis and Catelyn walked in Robert’s solar to find him humping a servant girl. The steward scurried away mumbling some apologies and the girl fled covering her breasts.

“Have you no shame anymore?” Stannis asked him full of contempt, “Have you resolved to pollute every shade of the Baratheon’s House?”

 “You have no right to speak to me in that tone,” Robert's face turned red with rage while he was still lacing his breeches. “I am Lord Baratheon!”

“Then act like it.” Catelyn spoke softly but icily, her lips pale with repugnance.

“What did you just say?” Robert bellowed, walking around the table to come close to his wife.

“Act like you were a Lord.” She hissed, her head high and proud, though her hands trembled with anger.

She never saw or even imagined the brutal blow that came after it.

Catelyn stumbled, holding her left cheek, so shocked that at first, she didn’t feel any pain.

“Watch your mouth, woman!” He warned her raising his hand again.

The second blow didn’t land.

She lifted her eyes to see her good-brother grabbing Robert’s forearm. They scuffled and pushed each other until Robert stumbled and fell like a sack. He had a cofounded look on his face like he couldn’t believe he had fallen.

“You’re drunk.” Stannis accused him, “Is that what you are now, a drunkard who beats women? Your own wife!”

“It shouldn’t be her,” He snivelled from the floor, like the most pathetic fool Catelyn had ever seen. “It had to be Lyanna!”

‘Her again,’ Catelyn thought, her cheek and left ear were pulsing with pain. She hated the woman most of the time, but others like at that moment, she knew the northerner girl had just been smarter and luckier than Cat.

She had gotten away from this beast while Cat had not.

By then, she knew he’d have been nothing different with the wolf girl. Mayhaps he’d have kept his whoring ways out of her sight, but he had done that with Cat at first. Maybe he had cared about her children, but maybe they’d have looked too northerner and he’d have disliked them as well as he disliked Robb and Sanna for their Tully’s looks.

“You have a dutiful, handsome wife,” Stannis countered him, “Yet you keep pinning for the one who rejected you!”

“Oh, handsome yes,” Robert scoffed sitting up on the floor, “But cold and limp like a dead trout when I fuck her.”

‘You mean when you grossly grope me and then take me like an overweighed dog in heat.’ Cat thought. She wished she was brave enough to say it out loud, but she felt her face swelling and her soul quailed at the thought of a new slap.

She hated herself for fearing such a sad, disgusting being.

Catelyn heard them fighting while she turned around, walked away and close the door.

She wandered through the keep noticing the servants gazing at her. She tried to hide her face, shamed by the signs of her husband’s abuse.

The feeling made her angry. Why did she have to feel ashamed?

She hadn’t done anything wrong, yet it didn’t go away. She ended hiding in a balcony that looked over the sea.

Cat stared at the waves breaking with fury against the rocks, feeling their fury as her own.

Was this how her whole life was going to be?

She was his wife, so she couldn’t run away, hide or leave. She knew he wouldn’t care if she did, but she couldn’t leave her children. Robert didn’t care about them, but he would never let her take them with her.

Catelyn was wiping away her tears when Stannis found her.

“Let me see that,” Stannis asked her curtly.

He had nothing of his brother deceivingly charming ways.

Cat remember thinking of him as unpolite, almost rude when they firstly met, but since, she had realized he was just not accustomed to treating with women and his shyness came out as curt and brisk.

She turned her face to show him and she felt the brush of his fingertips below her chin. She noticed how his heavy brow frowned upon the inspection of her face.

“The Maester must take a look at it,” He announced.

Cat recoiled from him, the previous feeling of shame and fear coming back in full force. Stannis was astonished at her reaction, retrieving his hand from her face.

“I’m sorry, Catelyn,” He said contritely as it was him the one who had hit her. “I should have stopped him before – before.”

“Cat.” She muttered.

“What?” He frowned, confused.

“My friends call me Cat,” She explained, searching his eyes. “Please, call me Cat.”

His lips quirked a little and she pondered if that was the closest as a smile someone had ever seen on Stannis’ face.

“Cat.” He tried the sound of it.

Tears pricked on her eyes, no one had called that since she had left Riverrun. She had been so alone these past years; her marriage had been nothing like she had imagined in her maiden dreams. Curt, gruff, headstrong Stannis had been the closest to a friend she had. She looked down at his hands, yes gruff, but also dutiful, just and thoughtful, if not kind.

Catelyn didn’t know what came into her, maybe it was the certainty of how bleak her future would be or the knowledge that there was no escape from it, but she closed the space between them and pressed her lips against Stannis’s.

His lips were dry and warm, yet her stomach fluttered unexpectedly.

Stannis let out a shaky breath before tentatively pressing back against hers for a few glorious moments.

It ended as suddenly as it had begun.

He stepped back, panting heavily, looking at her face rattled but resolute.

“This can’t, won’t… occur again.” He assured.

“I’m…” She wasn’t sorry, but he was right. “It won’t.” She promised.